human rights

The Atlantic Council think tank recently published a report called The Islamic Tradition and the Human Rights Discourse—"a collection of thought provoking articles that aim to elevate the conversation on Islam and human rights beyond the confines of 'compatibility.'" One of the articles was written by SHARIAsource Senior Scholar Mohammad Fadel: "Life, Liberty, and the … Continue reading Recent Scholarship: Fadel on Human Rights

Two weeks ago, the UN Human Rights Committee (which oversees compliance with the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) declared that France’s ban on full-face veils violates freedom of religion. According to the 2010 French law, “No one may, in a public space, wear any article of clothing intended to conceal the face.” … Continue reading In the News: Islamic Veils in France

Last week, SHARIAsource Senior Scholar Mohammad Fadel was a panelist at an Atlantic Center event on “Rethinking Human Rights and Islam.” In addition, SHARIAsource Egypt and Malaysia Editor Tamir Moustafa has written a new book—Constituting Religion: Islam, Liberal Rights, and the Malaysian State—which can be downloaded here from Cambridge University Press.

SHARIAsource South Asia editor Jeff Redding has written a paper on Muslim discussions on gender, law, and society discussing the rights of transgender people living in Pakistan, which constitutionally incorporates Islamic law into its state law system. The paper is due to appear as a book chapter in an edited volume called Human Rights in Translation: Intercultural … Continue reading Recent Scholarship: Redding on Transgender Rights in Pakistan

This commentary, by SHARIAsource Morocco editor Ari Schriber, argues that the negative political ramifications of prosecuting the Baha’is in 1962 led the state to limit the scope of Islamic discourse in Moroccan law. In 1962, a Moroccan criminal court convicted fourteen Baha’is accused of attacking religious convictions and attacking public order (among other charges). Most … Continue reading Commentary: The Limits of State Religion in the Moroccan ‘Baha’i Affair’

This English-language summary issued by the Acehnese government (Indonesia) explains the all-encompassing role of sharīʿa in Aceh. It clarifies that sharīʿa does not apply to non-Muslims, and that its implementation in no way repudiates human rights standards, including freedom of religion. Read the document.

The Plaintiff, Marcus Leeotis Watts, sued the Respondents, various prison officials at the Perry Correctional Institution in South Carolina, for allegedly violating his rights under RLUIPA and the First Amendment when the prison failed to provide Muslim prisoners with ḥalāl meat. The Respondents contended that the vegetarian meal option that complied with Islamic law was adequate, … Continue reading Watts v. Byars (D.S.C. 2013): Religious Accommodations for Prisoners

SHARIAsource editor Will Smiley shares in the Washington Post his expertise on the motives of new anti-sharia legislation in some states. Citation: Marcelo, Philip. "On Muslims’ agenda: Fight anti-Sharia proposals in US states." Washington Post, March 27, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/on-muslims-agenda-fight-us-proposals-to-ban-sharia-law/2017/03/27/430e4378-12fc-11e7-bb16-269934184168_story.html?utm_term=.42a6665938f4. “Sharia should be very concerning to all of us,” said state Rep. Heidi Sampson, a Maine Republican who has proposed … Continue reading Excerpt :: On Muslims’ agenda: Fight anti-Sharia proposals in US states